How To Create Content for Your Church
Have you ever had someone say something on stage that didn't resonate with the people attending your church?
Maybe it was an announcement that someone made, and they used verbiage you don't typically use. Perhaps a guest speaker inappropriately referred to something in the culture. Or the youth intern just goofed up.
When communicating with your congregation, you must understand their needs and keep them engaged in service.
The same is true online, especially when you're creating kingdom-advancing content. There is too much noise on the internet, and you can be a voice of hope.
I sat down with
Mark MacDonald, church branding strategist and author of "Be Known for Something," to discuss creating content and how churches can stay on brand when they do it.
Acronym for Helpful Church Content Creation: K.N.O.W.N.
"If someone's creating kingdom-based content, they need to do it with some guardrails up," Mark said. He offered the acronym KNOWN. "Keep it focused, Notice their needs, Offer solutions, Write with clarity, and Nurture connections. When you do that, you become known as a solution rather than just known as the church in the corner."
Keep It Focused
It's easy to get off-topic. Think of a recent time when you were telling a story. How easily did you add an extra detail or explanation that didn't need to be added?
You have to keep the message of your content focused.
"Focus the message directly on the audience, and then you'll get their engagement," said Mark.
Think about when your pastor is preaching, and he leaves a moment of silence. He lets a point linger for a bit. This sudden silence, the sudden change of pace, brings people back. It centers their focus.
Too often, especially on social media, churches try to pack too much content into too little space. Social media content isn't meant for that.
No channel is really for mismatched messages. Whether creating content for social media, a blog, a newsletter, or even a book, you must stay focused on one core idea.
Notice Their Needs (and How They Phrase it)
People won't listen to a message if they can't see how it meets a need. When I made websites for small businesses, I always had to ensure the content I wrote showed how that business met its customers' needs.
And your church is no different.
"Find out what [your audience's] perceived needs are and what they're Googling," Mark said. "Research some keywords that are being used in your areas."
There are millions of searches every month for things like "how to deal with depression," "how to be a better spouse," and "what to do with kids in {city}." I guarantee you have the answers to some of these searches. Whether it's from the Bible or your members, you can help people with these topics.
Not all searches will be "…as a Christian" or "Biblical…" but that doesn't mean you can't rank for it. It doesn't mean you can't show people to Christ.
"Few people will ever go online and type, 'help me spiritually,'" Mark said. "The church has content that will help people spiritually, but people don't have that as a perceived need.
You need to say a pain that leads them to the engagement of being able to give a solution to what they're looking for."
Offer Solutions
People are making secular searches. It's up to us to connect the secular search to the spiritual solution.
"Make sure you have a great connection between the secular [and spiritual]," Mark shared. "Make sure that you're actually creating content, engagement, and attention that leads to the gospel because that's what makes us a church."
You and I know that Jesus is the solution. Immediately saying, "You Need Jesus!" will likely turn them away. Offering a solution could be something like:
- Finding friends in groups/outreach events
- Free counseling services
- Premarital or pre-parental classes
- CPR training for teens
- Mom's Day Out Care
But have a way for it to link back to knowing Jesus.
Write with Clarity
You have your topic focused. You understand their needs and problems. You have a solution to the problem. Now, it's time to put the message together. You have to write with clarity.
"Everyone needs to write with clarity," Mark said. "Confusion repels and clarity attracts."
It's easy to say that. But what does clarity actually mean? Clarity isn't about being basic. It's about being simple. It means being easy to read, digest, and act.
"A clear message will cut through all the noise that's out there, and it will capture hearts a whole lot faster than the noise that many churches are putting out," said Mark.
Nurture Connections
Once rubber has hit the road and you have the message out there, now what? Your social media, blog, email, etc., is not a standalone piece. It has to be part of a greater strategy.
If you can't follow up with readers when they make a call to action, then the content you create isn't kingdom-advancing. Just like businesses often have to "nurture" leads to be paying customers, you have to nurture people in their journey with Christ.
"It's not up to us to convert people," said Mark. "What's up to us is to engage people to the point that they will either accept or reject the Gospel message."
The way you get someone to that point is by nurturing the connection. You have to foster the relationship.
What's the First Step to Actually Create Content?
"You have to always go back to the person," said Mark. I agree.
If you want to start creating Kingdom-Advancing Content for your church, you have to focus on the person you're trying to reach. Without that ideal person in mind, the content is useless.
It's not "everyone." It's not "your city."
It's someone whose needs you know, whose needs you are equipped to meet, and whose needs you are ready to reach.
How do you know who that is? Partner with someone like Mark or myself, and we will help you get to the right place.
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